Asiatique is a bright, cherry red cream. It applied opaque in two coats, and it went rather smoothly–not streaky at all. This is a repromote.

Beyond Jealous is a green-teal tinged black cream. This applied rather streakily; I needed three coats to get an even, smooth look. I think three coats was necessary just to achieve total opacity, too. This looks rather black regardless of the lighting, though. This is a repromote.

Nocturnelle is a dark black cream. Three coats. It’s come out a few times before.

Vice is Nice is a shimmering lightened gold with soft yellow tones. The finish looks like a metallic frost to me. It did need a full three coats to get an opaque result, and you can see some brush strokes. It is golder than China Glaze Midnight Kiss.

Vintage Vamp is a deep burgundy-red cream. Like several of the other shades, I did need three coats for this, and the first two layers applied on the streakier side.

Each vial contains 2.5g/0.09 oz., while a full-size polish contains 0.34 oz. There is a total of 0.45 oz. worth of polish in the set, which is just under a polish and a half worth of product. MAC’s Nail Lacquer retails for $38.24/oz., while this set works out to be $56.67/oz. I would expect a bit more given the price tag.

Given some of the application issues and the overall uniqueness of the colors (low), I don’t know if this would be the best introduction to MAC’s nail lacquers or even a great deal. MAC has done some really interesting shades, but this set does not include those. A black, red, and dark red cream just feel too standard. There’s no reason to settle for streakier, less pigmented formulas at this price point when competitors in this price range do it better. Just from the quality issues I had, it’s not a must-have based on my experience.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 24/30

Value: 7/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: The formula on these is just so-so; the majority needed three coats, and a couple had streaky application.

Product & Review FAQ

Where can I purchase this set? How much is it?

MAC, $25.50.

Is it limited edition?

Yes.

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The colors are nice, it’s just that MAC charges so much for their Nail Lacquers and they chip after a day. Horrible quality. I can’t justify spending the money on pretty colors that will not stay on my nails for even a week. I’d rather spend the cash on China Glaze or OPI.

My husband bought these for me as a Christmas present, so I’m still pretty excited about them coming in the mail. He knows my love for MAC and nail polish, so I think that it’s the thought that counts.

I always like the colors MAC comes out with for their nail lacquers but it seems like the formula is pretty much never up to par so I never wind up buying it. Considering how inexpensively you can get polishes with a great formula, it seems silly to pay more for something mediocre to crappy. (Even if I did LOOOOOOOVE the color of Imperial Splendour…)

This is the first item I was attracted to in this Tartan Tale collection cause it’s just so darn cute but too many vampy colours for me so I’m passing. Haven’t bought a mac nail polish yet, sorry I didn’t buy Bad Fairy when I had the chance at Mac but I’m not going to pay 3 times the price & outrageous shipping on ebay …. guess I’ll just wait till until gem comes along.

I thought it was clever that MAC released a mini nail lacquer set this year. I don’t remember them ever doing that before. The price is also decent, but MAC nail lacquers aren’t known for their quality. The colors are nice, but I think this set is definitely easy to skip. It might be good for someone who doesn’t have any MAC nail polishes and just wants to try them out, though.

I can kinda see why you’d include a black in this set of colors, especially given the overall collection theme. But why have essentially TWO of them in such a small set, especially considering two of the other colors are reds? (At least they’re different reds?)